Castilla de Oro (or del Oro) is the name given by the Spanish settlers at the beginning of the sixteenth century to the Central American territories from the Gulf of Urabá, near today's Colombian-Panamanian border, to the Belén River.

Beyond that river, the region is known as Veragua, and is disputed by the Spanish crown and the Columbus family.

The name "Castilla de Oro" is made official in May 1513 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon, at that time regent of the Crown of Castile.After Vasco Núñez de Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean, Castilla de Oro's jurisdiction is broadened to include the Pacific coasts of Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.With the creation, in 1527, of the Province of Nicaragua, which includes today's Nicaragua as well as the Nicoya Peninsula, Castilla de Oro's jurisdiction is reduced.

In 1537, once the conflict between the crown and the Columbus family is settled, Castilla de Oro is split up, divided by the Duchy of Veragua.The western portion, which comprises most of Panama's and Costa Rica's Pacific coasts, is merged in 1540 with Royal Veragua, to create the Province of Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica.The eastern part, the last remnant of Castilla de Oro, in time becomes known as the Realm of Tierra Firme, or Panamá, especially after the creation of the Royal Academy of Panamá in 1538.

In 1560, the new Province of Veragua, created by Philip II out of the now defunct Duchy of Veragua, is merged with Castilla de Oro.